Varanasi. Kashi city is completely filled with Shiva to welcome the New Year. Crowds of devotees from India and abroad are reaching Varanasi to have darshan of Baba Vishwanath and participate in Ganga Aarti. Lakhs of people have been coming to Kashi continuously since 25th December and as the new year is approaching, this number is increasing manifold. In view of this, high alert has been declared in Kashi and very strict security arrangements have been made. Barricading has been done on the entire route from Godaulia to Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Keeping in mind the convenience and safety of the devotees, many routes have been changed and different diversion points have been created. The police administration is continuously making announcements so that the devotees coming from outside do not face any kind of problem and they can easily reach their destination.
ACP Atul Anjan Tripathi said that since December 25, devotees from across the country and abroad have been coming to seek blessings of Baba Vishwanath and the number is expected to increase more on New Year. Giving top priority to the safety of the devotees, barricading, diversion and no-vehicle zones have been created. Special attention is being kept on the sensitive areas around the temple and ghats.
The ghat area is being monitored through drone cameras. Along with this, civil police, PAC and paramilitary forces have also been deployed. Every activity is being monitored through CCTV cameras from the control room. Several patrolling parties are continuously patrolling around the temple premises and ghats. In view of the huge crowd of women, women police force has also been specially deployed.
The police are keeping a close watch not only on the ground level but also on social media. If any kind of misleading or false information is spread, immediate action is being taken against it, so that any kind of rumor does not spoil the atmosphere. Due to continuous increase in the crowd, the temple administration has temporarily banned the Sparsh Darshan system and some special protocols, so that the darshan can happen smoothly.
Changes have also been made on a large scale regarding the traffic system. An area of two to three kilometers around the temple has been declared a no-vehicle zone. There is a ban on movement of vehicles from Mehraganj to Godaulia, Kadodiya and Sunarpura. Its purpose is that devotees can comfortably visit Baba Vishwanath on foot, enjoy Ganga Aarti and feel the spiritual experience of Kashi.
Devotees also seem quite satisfied with these arrangements. A devotee who came from Chicago said that there is a lot of crowd, but the arrangement is very beautiful. There are such good arrangements that there was no problem in having darshan. He said that he is very happy and has found peace in his mind after seeing Baba.
At the same time, the devotee who came from Bikaner said that Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the city of Lord Shiva and the energy here is different. There is a huge crowd on the occasion of New Year, but despite that the arrangements are excellent.
He said that the peace of mind that comes to Kashi is not found anywhere else. A flood of faith is being seen everywhere. He has visited Kaal Bhairav and now plans to visit Manikarnika Ghat and Namo Ghat after seeing Baba Vishwanath.
Devotees say that if the new year starts in Kashi then the whole year becomes auspicious. Lakhs of people are reaching here with this faith and belief.
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